Varosha, Famagusta
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Varosha |
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Varosha in 2006
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 Varosha
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| Coordinates: 35°06′39″N 33°57′13″E / 35.11083°N 33.95361°ECoordinates: 35°06′39″N 33°57′13″E / 35.11083°N 33.95361°E | |
| Country |
 Cyprus
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| • District | Famagusta District |
| Country (controlled by) |
 Turkey
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| • District | Gazimağusa District |
| Population (2015) | |
| • Total | 0 |
Varosha (Greek: Βαρώσια [locally [vaˈɾoʃa]]; Turkish: Maraş or Kapalı Maraş) is an abandoned southern quarter of the Cypriot city of Famagusta. Prior to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, it was the modern tourist area of the city. Its inhabitants fled during the invasion, when it came under Turkish control, and it has remained abandoned and under the occupation of the Turkish Armed Forces ever since. As of 2016, the quarter continues to be uninhabited and is described as a ghost town. Entry is forbidden to the public.
The name Varosha has its roots in the Turkish word varoş, meaning "suburb". The word has entered the Turkish language from the Balkan languages in the Ottoman period, when most of the Balkan peninsula was part of the Ottoman Empire. In Serbo-Croatian, the word varoš (Cyrillic script: Варош) means "town", "downtown", "borough" or "suburb"; while in Hungarian, the word város means "town", "borough" or "municipality" (vár meaning "fort", thus város literally meaning "place having a fort").
In the early 1970s, Famagusta was the number one tourist destination in Cyprus. To cater to the increasing number of tourists, many new high-rise buildings and hotels were constructed. During its heyday, Varosha was not only the number one tourist destination in Cyprus, but between 1970 and 1974, it was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and was a favourite destination of celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, and Brigitte Bardot.
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Wikipedia